I entered Cofféa two months ago to taste their coffee of the day. On that particular day, they were not serving a coffee that I could sample before purchasing the beans, so I decided to take a chance and purchase a 50g bag of Kopi Luwak without first tasting it.
Produced in Indonesia, Kopi Luwa is a specialty coffee that is harvested from civet droppings. (A civet is a small mammal that eats, digests, and excretes coffee cherries, which are then gathered, washed, and dried.) I was a bit leery about purchasing this product, but the sales clerk smiled and assured me that it was a coffee that I would appreciate.
I took the bag home and placed it in the refrigerator until the day that I could work up enough courage to try it. That day came two days ago, when I ran out of my regular coffee and caffeine withdrawal set in.
I ground 18 grams of Kopi Luwak coffee beans in my DeLonqhi grinder and then prepared an espresso (using 120 grams of water) with my 9Barista stove-top espresso machine. The beverage that it produced (44 grams of espresso) was intense, but surprisingly sweet and soft. A second cup produced the same result.
Yes, the coffee is quite agreeable, but at roughly 12.70€ a cup I have second thoughts about making this my regular-morning wake-up coffee.
Also, I wonder about the civets. Are they free-range civets that are allowed to roam the coffee plantation and select their own coffee berries? Or, are the kept in cages and fed whatever coffee berries the coffee producer provides for them?
Cofféa is a handsome store that offers a wide selection of coffee, tea, and sweets. The staff is friendly and helpful.
Coffee and tea can be purchased for consumption on the sidewalk terrace.
Cofféa
52, boulevard Saint-Germain
75005 Paris
